


red alert

by Trickster88



Series: i started a joke that started the whole world crying [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Gen, Human shield, Hurt Peter Parker, Irondad, Peter Parker Whump, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Whump, Whumptober 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-12-07 21:21:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20982557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trickster88/pseuds/Trickster88
Summary: “Oh,” Peter blinks again, and Tony can feel it as the kid tentatively pokes at the wound, blood welling up from between Tony and Steve’s fingers. Peter’s hand comes away dripping red. “Yikes.”*Written for the prompt 'human shield' for Whumptober 2019.





	red alert

**Author's Note:**

> So I've officially decided I'm a failure xD I'm just not cut out for the prompt a day thing, BUT: I'm going to do what everyone is telling me I should have done from the start and just write the prompts that speaks to me. So, enjoy Whumptober! Hopefully I'll be coming at you soon with something bigger ;D Fair warning that this is totally unbeta'd.
> 
> Written for the prompt 'human shield' for Whumptober 2019.

Press conferences are a boring, but woefully necessary part of Tony’s life. As Tony Stark, it’s all about Stark Industries - which, blessedly, Pepper now takes the brunt of as CEO - and as Iron Man, it interests him even less (but, at least he gets to make faces at the back of Steve’s head that end up on Twitter later as memes).

Right now, it’s the latter, and Mr. Truth, Justice, and the American Way is droning on, tiredly fielding increasingly dumber questions from the congregated reporters. Tony hates these ones the most - it’s not even  _ for  _ anything, other than to “update” the world. Update them on what? Every time Tony asks, Maria Hill just stares at him, entirely deadpan. 

Peter’s off in the wings, and he turns his head not even a second later, when he feels Tony’s gaze. The kid’s senses are sharp, and Peter raises an eyebrow as if to say,  _ shouldn’t you be paying attention? _

Wow, Tony’s really never going to live down the one time Peter was privy to Pepper giving him the business, is he? Tony rolls his eyes dramatically, though he’s unable to stop the smirk pulling at the edge of his mouth completely. Peter snorts and shakes his head before jutting his chin towards Steve. He mouths the word  _ important  _ over-exaggeratedly, and Tony scrunches his nose, barely resisting the urge to stick out his tongue.

He can hear the click of the cameras, the whispers starting amongst the press. Some of them have caught on to the fact that he’s talking to someone off-stage, and he’s sure it’ll be in at least a few of the papers tomorrow - and most likely on Buzzfeed’s homepage. Only if he’s lucky.

Peter stifles a yawn and Tony snaps his fingers, pointing at him and raising his eyebrows.  _ Ha! Got you! _

The kid shakes his head and runs a hand back through messy curls, lips pursed like he’s trying not to laugh. Steve still hasn’t noticed Tony’s preoccupation, but then, at this point it’s probably to be expected. 

Tony’s about to escalate the charade with a complicated eyeroll specifically designed to make Peter Parker laugh, when the kid straightens up into  _ Red Alert  _ posture. Tony’s seen it on the kid’s shoulders a million times, but he doesn’t think he’s ever seen it happen without the mask on. The expression on Peter’s face is far worse than the not-so-subtle widening of the mask’s lenses: it’s a douse of cold fear, backed by the certainty that something awful is going to happen.

Tony doesn’t even have time to react, but then, Peter’s the one with the enhanced senses.

It feels like it happens in slow motion, but it doesn’t; it actually happens very fast, faster than anything Tony’s ever experienced. And he remembers it in crystal detail: 4K, surround sound, the works.

Peter launches himself through the air, further and faster than any normal human. At the same time, there’s an unmistakable sound, echoing loudly and brutally in the conference hall - a gunshot, brazen and unmasked. Steve reacts instantly, but Peter’s quicker - the pair go down in a heap, skidding several yards across the floor. They leave a trail of fresh, shiny blood behind them, a smear of red on pristine tile.

Tony finds himself on the ground, ducking for cover behind the podium Steve was just orating from, with no recollection of how he got there. All he can see is Peter, etched behind his eyelids, jumping to action without a second thought.

The conference room is immediately in chaos - the shooter is running, bursting out of the doors with security hot on their heels - and Tony baseball slides over to Steve and Peter, uncaring of the bloodstains on his knees.

“Peter? Peter!”

Steve bristles for all of three seconds, still recovering from fight-or-flight mode, before uncurling enough for Tony to get a good look at the kid - just in time to wish he hadn’t. Tony can almost feel the color drain from his face as he takes in the overwhelming crimson that covers the both of them, emanating from the steadily growing dark spot on Peter’s graphic t-shirt.

( _ If you’re not part of the solution _ , it reads, and the red overtakes the cartoon chemistry test tube.  _ You’re part of the precipitant _ .)

Steve’s instincts are too little, too late; the damage is already done. Tony presses shaky hands to the wound, and Steve rests his own overtop of Tony’s, applying even more steady, unshakable force.

“Jesus Christ, are you kidding me with this?” It comes out harsher than Tony would have liked, quick and biting because he can  _ feel Peter bleeding out underneath his hands _ . Peter blinks up at him, dazed (that would be the  _ shock _ ).

“What?”

“If I weren’t holding you together with my bare hands, I’d facepalm.” A ghost of a smile touches Peter’s lips at the idea that Tony Stark knows and uses the word  _ facepalm _ , and Tony lets his voice soften. “You jumped in front of a bullet, Pete, and you’re bleeding like a stuck pig.”

“Oh,” Peter blinks again, and Tony can feel it as the kid tentatively pokes at the wound, blood welling up from between Tony and Steve’s fingers. Peter’s hand comes away dripping red. “Yikes.”

“ _ Yikes _ \- “

Steve, blessedly, interrupts before Tony can truly begin to flip his lid, smiling despite the tightness in his jaw and the guilt in his eyes. Tony already knows the conversation they’ll be having later -  _ I should have clocked the gun; yes you damn well should have what the fuck gives, Rogers?  _

“You’re sharp, kid. You’re gonna be the best of us, some day.”

Peter lights up, smile almost blinding enough to distract from the blood, and Tony’s heart aches - this kid, who’ll jump in harm’s way and still fall over at a compliment from Captain America...he’s already the best.

“Well, it’s not my first rodeo, Captain.” Peter jokes, offhand, like that’s something that’s not going to make Tony’s blood pressure skyrocket right through the roof, but any commentary is waylaid by the EMT’s arrival.

The medical team is quickly ushered in, flanked closely by security, and Steve has to pull Tony away, Peter’s blood staining his hands. They hover nearby, ready to jump into action should anyone from medical make the wrong move - but the shooter was likely acting alone, and targeting Steve in the first place, not a random kid.

Tony knows it’ll be all over the news tomorrow - him and Steve, kneeling by a faceless, heroic boy. He knows there will have to be another press conference, far more serious than this one had originally been; and most of all, he knows Peter will heal. He knows it, he does, but all the rationale in the world doesn’t help Tony much when they strap Peter to the board.

The kid doesn’t help either, as he starts to fade toward unconsciousness. He does manage to salute Steve weakly as they load him up on the cot, smearing blood against his temple, much to the consternation of the medics. “It’s been an honor.”

This time, Tony does facepalm. 

(Or, well, he tries to. Steve manages to catch his wrist just in time. “I did say  _ some day _ .”)

**Author's Note:**

> [Peter has always just been kind of Like That](https://i.redd.it/qly0zgdbm9gx.jpg)
> 
> Follow my writing blog at [thwip--thwip](http://thwip--thwip.tumblr.com) for more debatably decent content.  
[Rebloggable link](https://thwip--thwip.tumblr.com/post/188267644795/red-alert-by-trickster88-oh-peter-blinks-again) <3
> 
> Comment if you liked it! Love you all 3000.


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